


Amity Blight & The Unexpected Summer

by Halo20601



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alador and Odalia are seperate characters from canon in this fic, Alternate Universe - Human, Amity Blight Needs a Hug, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Camilia Noceda, Bisexual Eda Clawthorne, Bisexual Luz Noceda, Blushing Amity Blight, Eda Clawthorne is Luz Noceda's Parent, Eda's the mom Amity deserves, Eventual Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Family Issues, Good Siblings Edric & Emira Blight, Horror, Lesbian Amity Blight, Magic, Mild Blood, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Amity Blight, POV First Person, POV Third Person Limited, Parent Eda Clawthorne, They are not Amity's parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halo20601/pseuds/Halo20601
Summary: Amity Blight finds herself transported to the Boiling Isles by accident. Now, her only hope of navigating this chaotic new world is to trust the infamous Eda, the Owl Lady, and her daughter, Luz Noceda. This is not what she had in mind for her Summer.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Camilia Noceda, Amity Blight & Eda Clawthorne, Amity Blight & Luz Noceda, Camilia Noceda & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne/Camilia Noceda, King & Luz Noceda
Comments: 29
Kudos: 200





	1. Chapter 1

_Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time._

_Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you._

_Maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time._

_And hung me on a line._

_Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you._

I sat on the bench and jammed to Paul McCartney on my phone as I waited for the bus to arrive. I held up a small mirror to observe my reflection. It may look shallow but having a mirror on your person does come in handy when a straight-haired, straight-A student needs to look her best.

Though I do hear some peers say I look "hotter" with my hair down. But a Blight shouldn't be concerned with others' opinions. I fixed my hair into the ponytail and made sure my blouse was suitably buttoned up. Everything was just right for "Little Miss Perfect."

That's what everyone at school would call me. Though they mostly use it as an ironic slight, I think it fits who I am. "Little Miss Perfect," that's me. I looked at my wristwatch. "The bus must be running late?"

When the bell for Summer Vacation sounded, I had a plan that I'd be making the most of and would go over when I returned to Blight Manor. Ed, Em, and I were greeted at home by our butler Horace. Afterward, he informed me that my parents wanted to see me once I came home but didn't specify why. Horace took my bag to my room as I met Mother and Father in the lounge, revealing they signed me up for a Summer-long program without my knowledge.

Yeah, it'll help my chances of making it into an excellent college, but it would've been nice if Mother and Father asked me first. Instead of saying, "You will attend," and "A good little girl should do what she's told."

Next to me was a suitcase with enough clothes and toiletries to last the whole Summer and the supplies I usually bring to school. Ed and Em helped me pack, along with Horace, and Mother and Father examined my bag before sending me on my way. They didn't want me to bring any "distractions." But that didn't stop me from sneaking the fifth volume of my favorite book series, _The Good Witch Azura_. It was inside a hidden pouch, along with two sheets of paper that I pulled out.

One was a list of how I planned on spending my Summer, which included: "Tell Riley from chemistry class how I feel about her." Whenever I saw her walk by my locker, I would be overwhelmed with the most absurd feelings. My heart would beat faster, and I'd become fluttered from head to toe.

The other sheet was an old picture of me, my brother and my sister, who know about my secret. There was a little note scribbled in the corner that read, "To Mittens." I completely stood out from them. Six-year-old Ed and Em with pitch-black hair, and four-year-old adopted me being a brunet.

When I looked back to my baggage — and I couldn't believe it myself as I pulled out my earbuds — a tiny yet surprisingly strong owl was flying away with it. "Hey, get back here! Stop!" I gave chase to the little bird as it fled further into the woods. Unless Ed and Em snuck some seed into my bag — which they did once back in second grade — there should be no reason why this stupid bird would want it.

I kept chasing the little fast thing, even as it flew to an old rundown shack. There was something strange about it. It could just be there's an abandoned shack I've never seen until now. Or maybe it's the exotic golden eye on the door that was pretty much telling me to turn back. The even stranger thing, which made me gasp, was that the door seemed to open on its own for the owl. "Oh, no, you don't!" I sprinted for the door and ran right through, only to stop in my tracks, for I was suddenly inside a tent. "What the…" There were ratty clothes, broken toys scattered all over, and — "Oh my gosh!" — a shrunken head.

It also sounded like there was some commotion outside. The kind you would hear on a busy street, with people moving and talking aloud. I just had to clear something up and stepped out of the door, winding up back in the woods where the only sounds were my breathing and nature. I walked back through the door a third time and returned to the tent full of oddities and strange sounds. "Okay, this is too weird."

I hid behind a barrel once I found the owl waddling away with my bag in its beak and watched it intently. I would think it's cute, if not for the fact that it has my belongings. I carefully followed behind the little bird. Once the opportunity arises, I'll snatch my stuff and book it for the bus.

The owl shuffled out of the tent. "Eda, Owlbert's back!" I heard what sounded like a girl about my age shout. Was this bird someone's pet?

I moved the tent's curtains slightly to get a good look at these people. As I guessed, one of them was a girl about my age. Her skin was tan with dark brown eyes and hair, and wore a white and indigo hoodie, dark gray leggings, and white shoes. She also had strangely long and pointed ears, like an elf from one of those epic fantasy films.

The one I assumed to be "Eda" was a tall woman with ivory skin and wore a ripped-hem maroon dress and had untamed long gray hair and golden eyes. "Finally, you sure took your time." I gasped as I saw the owl turn into a wooden ornament once it perched itself on the end of a staff the woman held. Eda unzipped my suitcase and went through my belongings. "Let's see what we've got here." She took out my deodorant. "Sell." She took out my hairbrush. "Sell." She took out one of my training bras. "Trash." She continued digging through and eventually pulled out my book. "Hey, look what I found, Luz."

"No puedo creerlo!" The girl named Luz shouted in excitement. "I didn't even know the fifth book of _The Good Witch Azura_ saga was out!"

Eda showed the book to her with a warm smile. "Well, consider this an early birthday present for my little girl."

"Gracias, Mami!" Luz hugged the older lady she referred to as "Mami." Eda hugged her daughter back while patting her head. She's probably her stepmother, or adopted mother, or something; they don't look like they're related.

Eda was about to hand the book to her daughter when I jumped out to snatch it and my stuff. "Excuse me, but these are mine! Bye!"

I made a run for the door with the strange eye when it suddenly slammed shut on its own and folded itself out of existence. I turned around to see Eda glowering. "You're not going anywhere."

I dashed out in a panic but skidded to a stop near a ledge that overlooked a rustic-looking town where dozens of creepy creatures surrounded every corner. A dragon flew over my head, only for a giant hand to swat it like a fly. Suddenly, I heard fluttering, and I saw something approach me to my left. I turned to see that, "Oh, it's just a little fairy."

Just as I sighed in relief, the little flying person revealed rows of sharp teeth. "Give me your skin!" It demanded.

I shrieked at the top of my lungs, then Eda's hand popped out the tent to slap it away; before grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling me in. "You scream like a banshee; y' know that?" She said as she held me up with one hand. "And you either must be brave or stupid to steal from the most powerful witch on the Isles."

My face became beet red. "Excuse me, but I didn't steal from you! I was just taking back what your pet owl stole from me!"

"Wait, that's your stuff?" Luz asked.

"Yes, it's my stuff! And why did you steal it?"

Eda brought me closer to her face. "We prefer "acquiring," for your information. And secondly, you wouldn't believe how much people are willing to pay for stuff from the Human Realm."

I could've already guessed this from the fact monsters, and whatnot surrounded me, but she just confirmed I wasn't on Earth anymore. "Look, I just want my book, bag, and everything in the bag back. Then, I'll be on my way, and we'll never have to see each other again."

"I think we should just give the stuff back to her, Eda," Luz said before looking at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry about all of this."

"I'm not." Eda drew a yellow circle in the air with her finger, and yellow energy surrounded my whole body. The woman released my shirt, and I discovered that I was completely weightless, floating in mid-air. Eda flicked her finger, and I found myself flying right out of the tent's front, landing butt-first on a creaky and old wooden stool. "If you want your stuff back. You gotta buy something from me, first."

"You're kidding me, right?" I shouted; my face even redder.

"No. But I'll make it worth your while." She pulled out a pair of rubber clogs. "Can I offer you some human feet filled with holes?" She placed it on the table before grabbing a deodorant roll, and it was my deodorant roll at that. "A bar of green human candy?" She placed the deodorant on the table before pulling out a small, broken television. "Or how about this black shadow box that reflects only sadness?" Right now, the only thing it was reflecting was my annoyance at this whole situation.

But this gave me an idea. "That's not all it can do." I told her, taking the television and grabbing some batteries from a bowl with a sign that read "human Candy." I placed the batteries inside and turned the dial, an exercise video playing with upbeat music played. "Ta-da!"

Luz's eyes widened. "I didn't know it could do that."

The music began attracting more patrons who gathered around in fascination, saying things like: "Huh?" "What's that?" "It's so alluring." "I'll pay forty snails for the screaming box!" "I'll give you a hundred!" "Can I eat the tiny person inside?"

"Do either of you even know what your selling does at all?" I asked the mother and daughter duo, raising an eyebrow.

Eda snorted before leaning into my ear. "Not really." She whispered. "But the "suckers" don't gotta know that." She pulled back. "I'm Eda, the Owl Lady."

"And I'm Luz Noceda." Luz greeted.

"Amity Blight," I told them. "And I would look to go home now if you …"

"Busted!" A deep voice then shouted.

Everyone scattered as one of the patrons screamed, "Run! It's the guards!"

I turned to where the voice was coming from and saw two masked men approach. The one ahead shouting, "Eda, the Owl Lady, and one of her apprentices! You two are under arrest for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors!"

"You two are criminals?" I asked. As if things couldn't get any worse.

"Would you guys quit following us around?" Luz asked them in frustration. "We haven't done anything wrong… yet."

"You two are coming with us." The guard then picked me up off the ground. "And you, too!"

"What? Why?" I asked in a panic.

"For aiding and embedding two known fugitives!"

"Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!" Luz shouted.

"Alright, alright. You win," Eda said.

"What?" Both I and Luz said at the same time.

"Just let me get my stuff…" The Owl Lady reached under her table, and then smacked both guards across their faces with her staff and freeing me; before slamming her pole on the ground, the entire stand suddenly shrunk and wrapped itself into a sack. She then hopped onto it. "Come on, you two!" She shouted at Luz and me.

Luz took my hand and pulled me onto the staff as she hopped on to it. "Let's get out of here!"

Before I could protest, we were flying away as I held onto the staff tightly, passing through the streets at supersonic speed while screaming, "OH MY GOSH!"

Meanwhile, Luz was having the time of her life. "WOOHOO!"

"Hang on!" Eda said as we began flying higher; I hugged the staff tighter and closed my eyes, praying for this craziness to end. "You can open your eyes now, human."

"I'm good," I said.

"You're gonna miss out on the view," Luz said, which piqued my curiosity.

I opened one eye before opening the other and gasped at the beautiful sight of mountains, trees, and rivers. "Okay. Wow. Just… wow." I looked over at Eda and Luz. "So, you two are witches?"

"Yep," Luz answered.

"And everything that just happened did happen?"

"Yep."

"Can one of you tell me where I am?"

"You're in the Demon Realm, kid," Eda answered. "And the island we're flying above right now is the Boiling Isles."

Before I could ask another question, there was a sharp screech; a gigantic creature flew past us, which looked like a, "Was that a griffin?" The creature screeched again as it did another flyby and shot spiders out its mouth. "Is that normal?"

Luz chuckled. "Of course. Everyone knows griffins have spider-breath."

"You see, every one of your human myths were developed by a little of our world leaking into yours." Eda further explained.

"And griffins aren't the only ones; there are manticores, vampires, werewolves, goblins, giraffes…"

Wait a minute, did I hear that right? "I'm sorry, did you say giraffes?" I asked.

"Yeah, the Isles banished those freaks centuries ago," Eda answered.

"Well, as "exciting" as today was, I think I've had enough. So, could you please land and open up that door of yours to send me back home?"

"Only if you help us first."

"What more could they want from me?"

"We'll explain when we land at our place," Luz said, pointing at the ground.

We descended to a house below, just about a foot off the ground, with Luz and Eda hopping off first. There was a popping sound, and I nearly shrieked upon seeing that Eda's hand detached from her arm. The Owl Lady put it back on. "Sorry, that happens sometimes."

The house was a large one made from white brick with a blue roof and a stained-glass window in an eye's shape. "Hoot-hoot!" A shrill voice made me fall off the staff, but Luz caught me before I hit the ground; it came from the door, which had a talking owl face on it. Nothing surprises me anymore at this point. "Hoot-hoot! Password, please!" Eda poked the face's eyes. "Ow!"

"Let us in, Hooty; we got no time for games." She ordered it.

"Alright, alright! Geez! You never want to have any fun! Ow! Hoot!" Hooty opened its mouth, which expanded into an entrance.

"Okay, I'm not going in there." I objected.

"It'll be okay," Luz assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder and leading me through the hole.

Once Hooty's mouth closed, Eda snapped her fingers, illuminating a living room with a fireplace, coffee table, couch, and two wanted posters of Eda and Luz. "Welcome to the Owl House, Amity Blight. Where Luz and I hide away from modern life's pressures, the cops, and exes."

It's no Blight Manor, but not bad. "So, you two sleep here?" I asked.

"Only when the night critters allow us," Luz answered way too casually.

I noticed a framed photo on the table with a younger-looking Eda, a seven-year-old Luz, and another woman, Luz's birth mother, I assumed. "Does anyone else live here?"

Luz was about to answer when a deep voice made itself known, "Who dares intrude upon I?" I saw a shadowy figure approach from down the hall, but its pitch became higher the closer it got and revealed itself as, "The King of Demons?" Which turned out to be a little puppy-like creature with dark gray fur, yellow-pink eyes, and a skull-mask that had a broken horn.

Luz ran over to pick up and pet him. "Hey there, King, how's our wittle cutie-pie doing?"

"I am not your cutie-pie!" This "King" protested.

Luz proceeded to give him a belly rub. "Yes, you are."

"I know." He lovingly said before finally noticing I was in the room. "And who's this?"

"Oh, this is Amity, a human." Eda introduced. "And she's here to help us with our little... situation."

"Which you've had yet to explain." I reminded her.

"Take a seat." She told us. "It's Storytime." Luz and King plopped onto the couch, and I rolled my eyes before sitting next to the furry little creature with my arms folded. "Now, this tale isn't for the faint of heart and contains horrifying images not suited for young viewers, or…"

With each passing second, my patience grew thinner. "Just get on with it already!"

"Killjoy." With both pointing fingers extended, Eda drew a large circle in front of us, which slowly began to project images of a fearsome-looking beast. "You see, King was once a mighty King of Demons; until his Crown of Power was stolen by the evil Warden Wrath." A crudely drawn cartoon of a large man in a plague mask stealing the crown played. "As a result, he became what's on the couch."

I suddenly busted out into laughter, holding my gut. "What's so funny?" An irked King asked. "There's nothing funny about any of this!"

"I'm… I'm sorry, I'm... having a hard... hard time believing this." I pointed at King. "Was once that." I pointed at the King of Demons.

Luz picked him up and held him like a protective pet owner. "Hey, don't be mean to this wittle bundle of joy."

"And I can be plenty fearsome!" King declared.

"Please, I've seen litters of kittens more terrifying than you." I scoffed.

An annoyed Eda coughed. "Are you gonna keep interrupting over there, or can I continue?"

"By all means."

"As I was saying. Wrath and his goons locked the crown away behind a magical barrier that no witch or demon on the Isle can cross through." She displayed an image of this barrier repelling cartoony witches and demons. "But a human can cross through."

I quickly put it together. "Like me."

"Exactly. Whaddya say? You help us retrieve his crown, and we'll send you back to your realm with no strings attached."

I quickly stood up. "Okay, there is no way I'm doing any of this!"

"Please, Amity, we wouldn't be asking this if we didn't need your help." Luz practically begged. "And besides." She held King up to my face. "Can you honestly say "no" to this wittle guy?"

"Luz, you know how I feel about anyone other than me exploiting my cuteness." The little creature whined.

But to answer Luz's question, "Actually, I can."

"Well, there's one thing you seem to be forgetting." Eda interrupted as she dug through her hair and pulled out a key with the same symbol on the door that brought me here. "We're your only ticket out of here."

"So, I don't have a say in this, do I?"

"Nope."

I sighed and pinched my temples, asking myself what I did to deserve any of this. "Fine, I'll get your stupid crown."

Luz jumped from the couch and gave me a big hug. "Thank you so much!"

"Okay, I get it; you're happy." I pushed her away as I tried hiding my blush, before turning back to Eda. "So, where are we going?"

Eda playfully twirled the key, almost as if she were taunting me, then stored it back into her hair. "Somewhere super fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Amity listens to is Paul McCartney's Maybe I’m Amazed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdDPR8GzXy8


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome to the Conformatorium, a place for those considered unsuitable for society." Eda introduced as she dropped Luz, King, and I off at a massive stone tower's front gate while thunder echoed through the pitch-black sky.

"What do you mean by "unsuitable"?" I asked.

"Anyone the law doesn't see as appropriate for wandering the streets is imprisoned here for all of eternity."

"Hey, check this out, Eda!" Luz shouted, running over to her mother with a rolled-up sheet of paper in hand. She unrolled it to reveal a crudely drawn wanted poster of the Owl Lady, with a reward underneath that read…

"That's your bounty?" I shouted in disbelief. I figured she probably had a reward for her capture but did not think she would be worth that much.

Eda took the paper and snorted. "I guess the Emperor must have the hots for me to raise my bounty to a trillion. I'm kinda flattered." She rolled the sheet back up and stored it in her hair. "But we've given him the slip a thousand times before, and we'll do it a thousand times more."

King crawled into and sat in Luz's hood. "Yeah, try catching me when I'm all covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella." He exclaimed.

I looked at the Owl Lady. "Just so that we're clear; you do have a real plan on getting me up there, and not a "improvise and hope it all works out" plan, right?"

"Oh, can I tell her, Eda?" Luz asked, raising her hand.

"Sure." She casually replied.

Luz drew a circle in the air, and a tiny, holographic projection of us and the tower appeared. She explained the plan as it played out in a cartoony fashion: "Eda will fly the three of us up the tower. King and I will help sneak you inside and lead you to where they're holding his crown, while Eda makes sure the warden's distracted. Simple. And they'll never see us coming, with my cat-like skills, and the perfect disguise that I've been waiting to use." King hopped out of the girl's hood, and she pulled it up, revealing it has cat ears. She playfully meowed.

Yeah, it's that adorably naïve attitude that leaves me unable to shake the feeling that this whole thing was doomed right from the beginning. Eda sat back on her staff and motioned us towards her. "Come on; we ain't got all night."

The three of us all hopped on the staff, bolted into the air, and stopped before a tight-looking window. "Oh… um… I'm sorry, but... but I have a problem with close…" Before I could finish, the Owl Lady pushed me off the staff and tumbled through the window. Once I got up from the stone-cold floor, I turned and looked at the witch with daggers. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Eda put a finger to her lips and made a shushing sound. "Just do your part, and I'll meet you guys on the other side."

Luz jumped through next with no fear, while King tightly held onto her back. But her foot got caught on the ledge and fell inside face-first. The furry creature laughed at her misery. "Cats don't do that."

"Good luck," Eda said before flying away.

I helped Luz to her feet, and we took in our surroundings. I whispered to myself, "This looks like one of the castles my school toured during a field trip to Scotland."

"What was that?" I froze as upon hearing the voice said, a pair of loud footsteps approached.

"Don't move or make a sound," Luz instructed. The apprentice quickly drew a circle as a pair of guards came down the hall… and walked past us. "Gotta love the Cloaking Spell." King crawled onto the girl's back as she gestured for me to follow behind until we arrived in a room full of cells.

"Hey, you three." A voice called out, making us jump. We turned and sighed in relief that it wasn't a guard, just one of the locked-up prisoners. She looked like a vampire with black hair, dark skin, and a purple dress.

"How can she see us?" I whispered to Luz.

"The Cloaking Spell's only temporary." She explained.

"Cat lady, round ears; how'd you two get out of your cells?" The same prisoner asked us.

"Oh, I'm not a cat," Luz said as she pulled down her hood.

"And I'm not a criminal," I added.

"Not yet, you're not." King threw in, probably just to annoy me.

"And neither are we, but the stupid warden likes to lock people up who don't fit in." The vampire protested as she pulled out a journal from behind her back and opened it, showing us a drawing of a carrot and apple passionately making out. "I like food and love, so I like writing fanfics of food falling in love. Expressing creativity is not a crime!"

I shushed her. "Okay, we believe you. Just be quiet."

"What about the rest of you?" Luz asked.

"I'm here because I like eating my own eyes." A multi-eyed creature spoke up before popping out an eyeball and swallowing it, only for a new eye to grow back. I have no comment on what I just witnessed.

Then, what was essentially a giant head with a prominent nose and tiny limbs cried out, "They will never siwence us for we are agents of fwee expwession!"

"Quiet." I raised my voice slightly.

"Sorry about her, she's just big into conspiracy theories." The vampire told us.

"The world's a simuwation, and we are but pwaythings for a higher being!" The little being continued shouting.

"These don't sound like any real crimes," I said. Yeah, they all seem a little off and are very, very loud. But I highly doubt they're dangerous to society. But that's not my problem.

"Well, tell that to the Emperor," The vampire scoffed. "He decides what is and isn't a crime on the Isles."

"I can hear you!" A deep voice made itself known, as I could feel the room shake with thudding footsteps.

"It's Warden Wrath!"

Luz didn't waste any time and re-cloaked us just as this Warden Wrath busted through a door. He looked way more intimidating in real life than the crudely drawn cartoon that Eda showed us. He snarled, making all the prisoner's shudder in fear. Unbeknownst to him, we were standing right in front of him, as still as statues. "Your foolish gossiping is interrupting the plans I have for when the Owl Lady's in my hands." He barked at the prisoners.

"We will wesist against the oppwessors!" The conspiracy theorist shouted. "We'll never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!"

The insult captured the warden's attention. He walked away from us and over to her, opening the cage door and picking up the conspiracy theorist off the ground; her screams of pain muffled by his grip. Luz gasped at the rather brutal sight, and I covered my mouth with both hands.

"I shall have this one serve as an example to all of you. You have no place in this society if you can't fit in." Wrath carried the poor prisoner into another room and slammed the door behind him, just as the Cloaking Spell wore off again.

"Okay, can we grab the crown and go now, please?" I asked.

"I'm with Amity on this one." King agreed.

"We can't just leave them here." Luz ran over to a nearby lever and grunted as she tried to pull it down. "I'm gonna… get you all… out… if this… stupid lever… could just…"

"You're sweet, kid," The vampire told her. "But you three should just get out of here while you still can. Freedom is a precious gift, make the most of it."

"We will," I said as I grabbed Luz's hood and dragged her out of the room.

"It's not fair they're in here just for being themselves." The apprentice ranted. "Where does the Emperor get off thinking that being different is a bad thing?"

"I don't know and don't care."

Luz stopped and pulled her hood free from my grip. "What the heck is your problem?" She had to gall to ask me. "You don't seem to care that these people are here for just being different."

I turned and glared at her and pretended to act like this was a friendly conversation. "Oh, so do you really wanna know what my problem is? My problem is that your mother strong-armed me into helping you break into a prison under the threat of not sending me home. So, please forgive me if I don't feel like sympathizing for a bunch of weirdos right now." Upon finishing my rant, I folded my arms and turned my back to her.

"You're right," Luz responded in a low tone. "And I'm sorry. I promise we will return you to your world after this." I didn't bother responding; it's not like we'll be seeing each other again after this.

A door suddenly opened, and all three of us jumped as Eda stepped out. "There you are." She gestured for us to come inside. "I just checked, and the warden's distracted, tormenting some tiny creature. So, he won't be coming around here anytime soon."

Luz and I gave each other a look then stepped inside. We came face to face with a forcefield, just like the Owl Lady showed us before we arrived here. King leaped off Luz's back and ran for the barrier. "My crown! It's close! I can sense its power!" He shouted like a greedy toddler, bouncing off it like a fly ramming into a glass door

"Aw, look at him go." Eda chuckled. "He's so cute when he's thirsty for power. Hey, King! We have a human, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." The little creature stopped and plopped down onto his behind.

Eda turned me to face her. "Alright, so when you walk through, look for a golden crown with a big red jewel in the center." She said. "You'll know it when you see it."

"A "golden crown with a big red jewel," got it," I repeated, more than ready to get this done. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled as I reached out and touched the barrier. My whole arm felt tingly as it phased through, and then I stepped inside. Standing before me was a pile of strange stuff, more than what was inside Eda's tent.

I found a miniature mountain of jewels amongst the junk. I began to forage through them for something that perfectly matched the description. As I dug, I accidentally destabilized the mound. I vaulted out of the way before an avalanche of trash crushed me, and when I turned back to the shifted pile, I spotted a kid's meal crown at the top. It was from a long closed-down fast-food joint called Burger Queen. Seeing it kind of made me nostalgic. I remembered back to when I was little and saw a kid in our kindergarten class wear one proudly, a golden crown with a big… I could feel the red filling my face as realization sunk in. "Are. You. Kidding me!"

I grabbed it and emerged from the forcefield, completely miffed at the whole situation. "My crown!" I ignored King's cheer as he dashed over and snatched it from my hand and put it on his head. "Yes! I can feel my powers returning."

I had a select few words I wanted to tell the Owl Lady as she and Luz fawned over the ecstatic furball. But I was too angry to come up with a satisfying rant. So, I went with something simple. "So, let me get this straight. All of this was just for some stupid piece of cardboard!"

Eda let out a sigh and gave me a look as if she were about to be straight with me for the first today. "Look, kid. People like us… we don't have much in this world; just each other. We're family, and family sticks together no matter what, y' know? So, if that "stupid piece of cardboard" is what makes him happy, then it's what makes us happy."

I can understand where she's coming from if I'm honest; when I think back to all the sacrifices that Ed and Em made to make me happy. And the ones I've made for them in return. "And besides," Luz spoke up. "You did your part of the arrangement and got the crown. So, we'll hold up ours as promised."

"Yeah, yeah, but let's just get out of here first before the warden finds us and loses his head," Eda said.

"Too late." The voice of Warden Wrath said as he jumped down with two other guards, landing behind Eda and transformed his hand into a blade.

I tried warning Eda, but it was too late. He decapitated the Owl Lady with one swift motion, her head landing right in my hands as I shrieked in absolute horror. "Dang it! I hate it when that happens." The head nonchalantly replied. I screamed louder, making her wince. "Okay, ow! That was right in my ear."

"How are you still alive?"

"Hey, this just happens when you get older."

"Not where I'm from!"

"Finally, I have you cornered, Owl Lady." Wrath boasted as he approached us, with King hiding behind me for protection. "I knew if my guards took your pet's toy, you'd come running."

Luz quickly grabbed the staff from her mother's body — while it searched around for its head — and got between the warden and us, more than ready to fight him. "Aléjate de mi Mami, maldito gigante!"

"You stay out of this!" Wrath ensnared her entire body with his massive hand and lifted her off the ground. She dropped the staff in the process.

"Luz!" Eda, King, and I all shouted.

I could feel the rage boiling inside the Owl Lady's head through my hands, more than ready to rip this guy apart if he hurts her daughter. "What do you want with me?" The Owl Lady barked.

"I want you…" Wrath reached behind his back with his free hand, and my whole body shook, wondering what he had planned for us. "To go out with me." He pulled out a bouquet.

"What?" Eda, Luz, and I said at the same time.

"Go, boss!" One of the guards shouted in support as the other cheered.

Wrath got on one knee. "No matter how many of my men I send after you, you've always eluded our capture time and time again. I find that enticing, to be honest."

"What is happening?" I asked, both terrified for my life and utterly confused.

"I don't know... but I hate everything he's saying right now…" Luz growled, trying to break free from Wrath's grip.

"So how about it, Owl Lady?" Wrath asked. "Imagine it. You and me together. We'd be the strongest power couple ever! I mean, it's not like you can refuse right now."

"Psst." I looked down at Eda's head as she made the sound, her eyes looking over at something. Following her gaze, I saw her body in perfect view behind Wrath and got what she had planned. I just needed to wait for the right moment. "Alright, you win." The Owl Lady led him on. "But, I wanna say something first; if you would come closer." The warden leaned in. "A little bit closer." Wrath leaned in further, then Eda blew a raspberry in his face.

"Ugh!" Wrath pulled back and wiped the spit off his mask. "Disgusting! Don't you know how many germs there are in your mouth, you wench?

"Oh, cry me a river! You had your guards stalk me, cut off my head, and hold my little girl hostage! I am not going out with you! Toss me, kid!" I took several steps back, and with a grunt, I chucked Eda's head over Wrath and his goons like a rugby ball. Eda's body caught her head, re-attached it, and then summoned her staff before twirling it and creating a blazing circle. "And by the way, I have a wife." She launched a Fireball that knocked the other guards aside before slamming into Wrath and making him drop Luz.

I dove forward and cushioned her fall with my body. "Ow!" I groaned; she was heavier than she looked.

"My hero." Luz hymned on top of me.

A blush of embarrassment and frustration grew on my face. "Get off me already!" She did so, then helped me up. "Now, let's get out of here!"

Wrath got back onto his feet, despite the burns and bruises. "If you don't accept, you leave me no other choice. I will bring you to my Emperor. Whether it be alive or dead!" He removed his mask and spat out flames in our direction. But Eda formed a barrier around Luz, King, and me in time.

Eda looked at Luz and King. "Take Amity and make sure she gets back to the Human Realm safe." She ordered them. "Y ni siquiera pienses en discutir conmigo."

Luz had an uncertain look but then nodded. "Lo haré, Mami."

"None of you will leave here alive!" Wrath roared as he spat more flames.

"Now, gun it!" Eda cast another Fireball, which Wrath dodged before unleashing one of his own as Luz took my hand; she and King leading me out of the room.

"Will she be okay?" I asked with concern. Even though she's a criminal, I guess she's not that bad of a person I previously thought.

"If you think that guy's bad, you shoulda met her last boyfriend." King joked to lighten the mood, as an explosion reverberated from behind.

As annoying as these three could be, I see they're a real family and actual good people. They're putting all they have on the line right now to see me get back home. I pulled my hand free from Luz's. "We have to help her!" I told them as another explosion rocked the structure.

"What could we do? We'd just get in the way."

I noticed we were back with all the prisoners. "I never thought I'd say this aloud, but let's start a prison break." I ran over to the lever, joined by Luz and King, and gripped it tightly. We pulled the lever down, and all the cell doors opened. But no one was leaving.

"Why are you guys just standing there?" Luz asked. "This is your chance to escape!"

"Why bother. The warden will just catch us again." The multi-eyed creature said before eating another eye.

"Self‐doubt is a pwison you can't escape fwom." Said the conspiracy theorist.

"We belong here." The vampire agreed before she looked at me. "And why are you helping us now when you had no interest before?"

There was another explosion, this one much closer. I sighed. "I didn't because I only wanted to look out for myself and avoid others. I only saw Luz, Eda, and King for who they were on the surface. Not who they are underneath. They're a real family, and her mother is fighting Wrath to make sure they stay safe. She might win, but she might not; Luz shouldn't have to lose family like that. What we are on the surface doesn't define us; what we choose to do does."

The prisoners all looked at each other and appeared to be moved by what I said, exiting their cells as they cheered. "Let's go get him!"

There was an explosion literally behind us. We turned around and saw a dusty and bruised Eda burst through a wall and tumbled onto the floor. "Eda!" We all shouted.

"At long last, I capture you, Owl Lady!" An equally injured Wrath came out of the newly made hole; his hand morphed into a blade and ready to end the fight.

"Not if we can help it! Attack!" The vampire shouted, and all the prisoners charged at Wrath.

The multi-eyed prisoner pounced the warden. "I eat my own eyes!"

The conspiracy theorist latched onto and gnawed on his leg. "I t'ink the world is a twiangle!"

The vampire proceeded to smack across the face with her journal. "And I practice the ancient art of writing fanfiction!"

Wrath tried fighting off the escaped prisoners but couldn't get them off. "What do you think you're doing?"

As that was going on, Luz carved a magical circle onto the ground. "Eat this, sucker!" She stomped her foot on it, and a wave of stones erupted from the foundation. They made their way towards Wrath, slamming into and trapping him against the wall.

"You will regret this!" The trapped warden cried, and everyone else cheered.

"Y'know, that was one of Eda's better breakups," King said.

"Not a breakup," Eda replied as she wobbled to her feet, then hopped on her staff. "Let's bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me." The three of us quickly joined her; we flew out of the Conformatorium as the former inmates began making their escape to freedom.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, a deal's a deal, kid. Let's get you home," Eda said. She rubbed her hands together before foraging through her hair as the four of us stood in the middle of the Owl House's lounge; my bag packed. "Now, where did I put that darn key?"

As she did that, I turned to Luz, who was still fawning over how happy her little demon was with his crown. "You there!" He shouted, pointing at a stuffed toy rabbit in the corner. "I shall name thee Francois, and you shall be a commander in my army of darkness!" Eda was right; King is cute when he's thirsty for power.

I huffed, and the girl turned to look at me as I awkwardly rubbed my arm, blushing again. "Look, Luz… I'm not... good at this… and I want to say this… before I leave… that I'm… I wanted to say… sorry for yelling at you earlier…"

"It's alright, no hard feelings." She told me with a comforting smile. "And I gotta say, it was kinda fun getting to meet a human." Then whispered, "Gus and Willow are gonna love this." Even though she forgave me, I still feel like I didn't say enough. "Oh, and you don't wanna forget this." I had a feeling I forgot something, and I was right, as she handed me my _Good Witch Azura_ book.

I reached out to take it but pulled my hand back. "You can keep it."

The apprentice blinked. "But this is yours."

I looked away from her, as my blush grew deeper and rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, but I've already read it, and what kind of _Azura_ fan would I be if I didn't let another enjoy it?"

She immediately gave me another hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much." While some part of me wanted to push her away, I just let the hug continue, making me so red that someone might as well label me a tomato.

"Found you," Eda said as she pulled her closed hand out of her mane and opened it. "Alright, let's send you on your… uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Luz repeated as she let go of me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

In her hand was the key to the magical door that brought me here, snapped in two. "It must've broken during my scuffle with Wrath?"

No, no, this... this can't be happening right now! I started to panic as I pulled at my hair. "Am I going to be stuck here forever?"

"Relax, I can fix this," Eda told me as she put the pieces back in her hair. "But yeah, you're gonna be stuck here until it is."

"Well, how long will that take?"

"I dunno?"

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Kid, I'm a witch, not a miracle worker; I can't just cast a spell and fix it," The Owl Lady snapped her fingers for emphasis, "like that. This key's a powerful, magical artifact; it'll take time to make sure it works. One wrong move and I could open a portal to somewhere else in the Demon Realm, like right smack-dab in the middle of a lava ocean."

Luz's face then lit up as she squeaked with excitement, "I got an idea! Since Amity is gonna be stuck on the Isles until you fix the key, she can live with us at the Owl House for the time being."

"Oh, yeah! Let her stay!" King joined in. "She can make us snacks!"

Does she seriously want me to live with them? "Luz, that's a kind offer…" I began, unsure if this was a good idea. But I stopped and took a few seconds to think about what happened today. I'd never imagined starting a prison riot — and a potential revolution in a magical world — would be the most fun ever.

"But?" Luz asked with a pouty face.

I made my decision as I turned my head from them in embarrassment. "And I… think it would be a… good idea. Because you're probably the only ones that I can trust here, anyway."

Luz hugged me again, even tighter this time. "This is so exciting! We're gonna have a new member added to our little family."

"Okay, I wouldn't go that far."

She released me and was practically jumping up and down. "I could introduce you to my friends. We could share our opinions on _Azura_ , maybe even start a book club. Maybe we can teach you how to learn magic!"

"What?" Me, learning magic? "That's crazy."

"Yeah." Eda agreed. "Besides, humans can't learn magic."

"Maybe that's because no witch has ever tried," Luz argued.

"Necesitas sostener a tus hipogrifos; we're talking about her living under my roof. I oughta make the decision." Eda said.

Luz finally calmed herself down and bashfully breathed out. "Lo siento, Mami."

Eda hummed to herself and took her time deciding, unsure if she's being serious or simply messing with me — maybe she was doing both. "Well, I could use a hand keeping this goofball out of the cupboards." She pointed at King. "And Camila has told me Luz should keep making new and interesting friends. Sure, she can stay."

Luz hugged her mother. "Thank you! And can we teach her magic, too?"

"One thing at a time." Eda then looked at me. "But if you're gonna live here with us, you're gonna need to pull your weight. Deal?"

I nodded in agreement with the terms. "That's fair."

"Great. Noooooow, it's bedtime." Eda yawned as she drew a circle, and what looked like a sleeping bag made of spiderwebs fell into my arms. "That's your sleep cocoon; you can lay down wherever you want, except for my room. Good night." She waved at us as she walked down the hall.

"I'll take the couch." I said as I laid my "sleep cocoon" on it and unzipped it. Dozens of spiders scurried out, making scream and jump before disappearing into the floorboards.

"Don't worry; those aren't the poisonous kind," Luz assured me, not that it made me feel any better. "And you can sleep next to my bed if you want. We also have plenty of large closets for you."

"The couch will be fine."

Luz dimmed the lights with a gesture. "Alright. Good night, Amity. Dulces sueños."

"Good night, Luz." I looked over at my bag and pulled out the photo of Ed, Em, and me as I laid back, resting my head on the soft couch and cocoon. I held the picture up and looked at it for a while until I felt a yawn overcome me and put the picture away before closing my eyes and drifting to sleep.

* * *

Lilith guzzled what remained of her extra caffeinated Witch's Brew tea as she arrived at the Conformatorium; still half-asleep even as she hopped off her staff. It was three in the titan-danged morning when Kikimora called to inform the Emperor's White Raven that several prisoners have broken free and are running amuck. Since this matter is too trivial for the likes of Warden Wrath, she is here to get the situation under control. For every moment they are free, it's more spit in the eyes of the great Emperor Belos.

"I don't understand how my Emperor could entrust a brute like Wrath with making sure the threats to our society remain locked away, as they should be." Lilith continued to grumble as she strode down the stone corridors. "Every time he makes a mess, I'm the one called in to clean it up." The more of the tower she saw, the more signs of conflict she noticed. "This couldn't have been a prisoner." By decree, any prisoner with this destructive capability must submit to the Emperor's Coven's ranks or face petrification, or execution.

She arrived at the tower center, where several prisoners are still running freely and wreaking havoc. "The Wevowution has begun!" A tiny, giant-nosed creature shouted, running past Lilith as a guard pursued, doing everything he could to catch it.

The guard stopped in his tracks upon noticing the Emperor's Coven leader and stuttered, "M… Madame Lilith, it's you."

"Yes, it is I." Lilith dryly replied as she got uncomfortably close to the guard. "Where is Wrath?"

"Th… This way." The stuttering guard led the witch to the warden, who was trapped underneath layers of stone as his men removed pieces at a time to free him.

"Madame Lilith?" Wrath addressed. "What brings the Emperor's White Raven here?"

"What do you think I am here for, Warden?" She snapped. "Explain how you could allow a mighty symbol of our Emperor's authority to succumb to such anarchy."

"It was the Owl Lady."

Lilith's grip on her staff tightened as she grimaced. "Why am I not surprised? And why did you not inform the Emperor's Coven about this? You know how valuable she is to us." If it were not for the incompetence of Wrath, maybe Lilith would have her sister joining the Coven by now — which they've always dreamed of since they were children.

"Well… you see…" Wrath avoided eye contact with the witch.

"Yes?"

"I was… trying to woo her into... into going on a date... with me."

Lilith's face contorted upon hearing this. Nothing repulsed her more than the mere thought of this beast being anywhere near her sister in that manner. But the witch regained enough of her composure not to disintegrate Wrath where he laid. "And what was she doing here, exactly? It seems to be pretty obvious it was not to turn herself in."

"She came for her pet demon's toy and succeeded in stealing it back."

Lilith blinked in surprise. "That is impossible. You had that false trinket hidden behind the barrier; no one on the Isles can pass through it."

"She wasn't alone; she had a human with her to traverse the barrier."

"A human?" Now, this was a fascinating development. "What was Edalyn doing with a human?"

"The Owl Lady probably abducted her to break in here. That's all I know."

"Thank you, Warden; this information has proven to be of value." Lilith turned away from him as his men continued to dig him out. Lilith pulled out a pocket-sized mirror and opened it. "Contact Kikimora." Ripples vibrated through the glass as a ringing sound echoed. As she waited, Lilith sighed, "This is just like Edalyn, always making it hard for me to help her. But she's always been like that, so what should I expect."

The mirror's reflective surface then morphed to reveal the little, red assistant demon of the Emperor. "Ah, there you are, Lilith." Kikimora said as if she was almost expecting this call.

"Kiki, I have news about the state of the Conformatorium," Lilith explained everything that she knew to the assistant in as much detail as she could offer. Including that her sister had assistance from a human.

"A human, here on the Boiling Isles?" She was as equally surprised as Lilith was. "I'll send one of my agents to investigate the matter. You may return to your home and rest; you'll need it for when you resume your hunt for the Owl Lady. That is if you still desire what Emperor Belos has promised to you?"

"You have my word; I will capture her, ma'am."

"So, you have said on many occasions prior, and yet to deliver on that promise."

"I assure you, Kiki; Edalyn's days are numbered."

"And if my Emperor's ever-thinning patience is any indication, so are yours." On that ominous note, Kikimora ended the call and left Lilith to stare in her tired reflection worryingly.

* * *

My eyes slowly opened as I sat up straight, fighting my own body to stay upright. I let out a long, overdrawn yawn, stretching my arms out and licking my dry lips as I looked around at my surroundings. "Right, Owl House," I said, knowing it would take some time getting used to not sleeping in my bed for however long I'm stuck here. I fixed my eyes up at what appeared to be a clock on the wall, which had its hands pointing at two strange symbols. Going by how clocks work back in my world, I assumed it was six-thirty in the morning, here.

The door suddenly swung open, and the bird-tube thing attached to it shouted, "Hoot! Hoot! Good morning! Hoot! Hoot!" I was unprepared for that and fell off the couch and onto the floor and groaning. "Hoot! Hoot! Luz! Eda! Wake up, sleepyheads! Camila's home! Hoot!"

"Who's home?" I positioned myself upright while rubbing my head.

A woman with tan skin, dark brown eyes, and bun-tied hair wearing red-framed glasses entered the Owl House — as if to answer my question. She was dressed in blue and carried a staff like Eda's, but with a coiled-up snake at the end. She looked like an older Luz, and then I remembered the photo I saw yesterday; this was the woman in the photograph — Luz's birth mother.

The woman jumped as she noticed me, screaming, "Oh, mi Titán!" It makes sense, though, coming home to find a stranger sitting on her living room floor. "Es solo una niña." Placing a hand to her chest, she let out a sharply breathed chuckle, probably feeling embarrassed that she screamed over nothing. "Hello there, are you one of Luz's friends?"

I stood up. "Oh… uh… yeah, you can say that." Smooth, Amity; that doesn't sound suspicious at all. "I'm Amity. You must be Luz's mom."

"Mami!" Luz's overly excitable voice echoed across the halls with her footsteps. She slid into the living room with King by her side and ran up to give her mother a big hug. I looked away quickly to hide my blush as best as possible from the girl, who was still in her cute-looking pajamas. So, I focused on King as he climbed up on a treasure chest and stretched out.

"Hola Mija." The woman hugged her daughter then looked back at me. "I see that Eda let you have a sleepover with one of your friends while I was at work."

Luz broke the hug and looked at me, too. "I almost forgot; Mami, this is Amity, she's a human."

"A human?" Camila asked in astonishment.

"Amity, this is my Mami, a member of the Healing Coven."

"Yeah, we met just a minute ago," I told her.

"Mija, where is my wife, whom I love dearly?" Camila asked, trying to hold back the apparent passive-aggressiveness in her tone

A series of squeaks came from the hall, eventually revealed to be Eda in a plum sweater, violet nightgown, and yellow bunny slippers. She yawned loudly and looked up to notice her wife in the living room. "Hey there, you." She tried saying seductively but failed from how tired she was, walking over to give her a quick peck on the lips. "I missed ya."

Camila, clearly not in the mood for games, folded her arms and intently looked at her wife. "Edalyn, why was a human child sleeping in our living room last night?"

Eda looked over at me. "Oh, so you've met Emily already."

"It's Amity." I corrected her with some annoyance and found it a bit humorous that the "most powerful witch on the Isles" wasn't a morning person.

"Yeah, she kinda came through the portal with Owlbert."

Camila blinked in surprise, which quickly turned into a mixture of shock and aggravation. "Qué diablos, Edalyn! Has secuestrado a una niña de catorce años?"

Whatever she said, it snapped Eda out of her tired stupor. "What? No, I didn't kidnap her! What gave you that idea? All I just said as she came through the portal with Owlb..." She paused. "Oh, I hear it now." She clapped her hands together. "Okay, let me explain it better; I sent Owlbert to get some stuff from the Human Realm, and he grabbed her stuff." Eda pointed at me. "She followed him through, and now she's here."

"But why is she here? Why haven't you sent her home yet?" Camila asked.

"It's too early for this," Eda grumbled, before looking at her daughter. " Cariño, would you mind summing up what happened yesterday? I can't focus until I have my morning cup of apple blood."

Apple blood? "You mean apple juice?" I asked.

Eda gave me a deadpanned, "No," before she walked into the kitchen.

Luz cast a spell and created a small animation that summed up what happened with us yesterday, narrating all of it as a fantastic adventure. "And then I was like, "Eat this, sucker!" And Wrath was all like, "No! Dying! My only weakness!" And so, we defeated the evil warden and freed the oppressed! But alas, our tale takes a tragic turn. During the battle, Amity's only way home was destroyed. Now she must live with us until we repair the key, learning life lessons along the way and the true meaning of friendship. And that's the end."

Camila placed a hand over her face, muttering under her breath, "Eda, te amo. Pero al mismo tiempo, quiero matarte."

"Also, Amity could be the first human ever to learn magic. We could teach her some spells. Get her a cool staff and palisman. Learn all the different runes there are together…"

"Excuse me," I spoke up. "But I'm not interested in learning magic or any of that other stuff you said; I'm just waiting for the key to be fixed so I can get out of here." I then turned to Luz's mom. "And I'm more than willing to help everyone out around here until then so that I'm not too much of a burden."

"That's sweet of you to offer," Camila replied with a friendly smile. "But that isn't necessary at all."

"Well, I'm not gonna turn down free labor?" Eda said as she returned with a giant sack in her arms then plopped it onto the floor in front of me. "Now, since you're working for me, you should know I run a few businesses. On weekends, I offer rare human treasures that Owlbert drags over from your realm. But on most days, I sell only the finest homemade elixirs and potions, like what's in this sack."

I peered into the bag. It was full of over a dozen bottles, each with a different colored liquid. I pulled one out and read aloud, "Snake oil?"

"No one wants an un-oiled snake," Eda said and gestured in a manner that came off as… provocative. "Today, you'll be selling potions to the town of Bonesborough."

"I have no idea where that is."

"Oh, right." Eda turned to her daughter. "Luz, wake King from his power nap; you two are going with her."

"What? I just found the perfect spot." The little demon whined. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because Amity's a delicious-looking human who's probably gonna get eaten the moment she steps into town."

"Fine." King whimpered as he hopped off the chest and joined Luz.

Luz drew a circle in the air and a puff of smoke enveloped her. When it cleared, she was back in the same clothes as she had on yesterday, while saluting her mother. "We won't let you down!"

Eda turned back to me again, further explaining, "Oh, one more thing; you'll have to be careful. I have rivals everywhere who'd love to take down my business. And you along with it. So, here are some words of wisdom: Never befriend a man in sandals and always measure twice, cut once."

"What kind of advice is that?" I asked but didn't get an answer as Eda pushed the three of us out the door.

"Now, make sure your back by nightfall, or my wife will have me sleeping in the shed for a month. Good luck!"

The door slammed shut, and Hooty told us, "Have a nice trip! Hoot!"

I grunted as I slung the heavy sack of potions over my shoulder. "Lead the way, you two."

"Let's get this over with," King grumbled.

"Follow us," Luz said as she led the way.

"Good morning, Luz." A gargled voice then said as the three of us turned to it. I almost screamed again as I saw a giant squid-like creature waving at us.

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Thuuhlu!" Luz greeted the creature before it sank back into the water. "Such a friendly sea monster, that guy."


	4. Chapter 4

I slogged behind Luz and King with the sack of potions slung over my shoulders until we finally made it into town. Bonesborough, as I suspected, was filled with multiple creatures that I once thought to only exist in the realm of fantasy. But there were some similarities to my world, like — and I swear — a chilidog cart.

"You know it's rude to stare," King told me.

"I know, but… I can't get over just how out of place I feel here." I told the little demon.

"Hey, if you live here long enough, you get used to it."

"So, Luz, where are we stopping first?" I looked over at the apprentice; her nose buried deep in the book I gave her last night. I increased my pace to walk beside her, and my eyes widened in surprise to see she read just about a quarter of the entire story. King and I stopped in our tracks when we spotted the traffic light in front turn red, but Luz kept walking! I grabbed the witch's hood as a caterpillar the size of a bus trampled down the road and pulled her back onto the sidewalk before it crushed her. I folded my arms. "You know, you shouldn't read while walking."

"Sorry." Luz apologized with a blush.

"Since I got your attention, now, I have some questions for you."

"Shoot."

"Okay, I may be wrong, but the language that you and your moms sometimes speak kind of sounds like Spanish. Is that a native language here?"

"No, it's not." Luz chuckled. "It's a funny story. Before I was born, my dad wanted to ask my mom on a date, and so he bought some poems from Eda to win her over. But the poems were in Spanish. So, he had to buy a book on how to speak the language from her, too." She shook her head. "Long story short, it worked, and they both made it a hobby to learn the language when they got together. Then Mami taught me when I was old enough, and then taught Eda when they got married."

"So, where is your dad? If you don't mind me asking."

Luz's chipper attitude faded. "I never knew my dad; he passed away when I was only a baby."

"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"Hey, it's alright; you didn't know." Luz gave me a small smile. "Besides, with how both Mami and Eda talk about him, he sounded like a cool guy."

"I'm sure he was." There was an uncomfortably long, awkward silence. "So… I see you're enjoying the book."

"Oh yeah, I love it. And y' know, while I was reading this, I started thinking that maybe you're here for a reason."

I gave her a confused look. "A reason?"

"What if you," The apprentice dramatically pointed at me, "Amity Blight, average teen, actually have..." She tapped her fingers against the book's hardcover, mimicking a drumroll, "A predetermined path of greatness! Just like Azura!"

I busted out with laughter, holding my stomach. "I'm… I'm sorry, but I don't remember Azura's path to greatness involving her delivering snake oil?"

"Today, you're delivering packages, but tomorrow you'll be earning the respect of everyone on the Boiling Isles with your eventual magical prowess."

Again, still not interested in learning magic. "C'mon, do you believe that cliché to be true? If anything, I just wound up here by being at the wrong place at the wrong time; nothing special about it."

"Oh, you wanna talk about clichés?" Luz snickered. "Let's address your mysteriously withdrawn, "I act like I don't care, but I secretly do" attitude. Y'know what that makes you? A tsundere."

I stuck my finger in her face. "Call me that again, and I spoil what happens at the end."

Luz gasped and held the book close to her chest. "I'm sorry! Have mercy!"

"Hey, can we get a move on already?" An impatient King asked, tapping his foot. "The sooner we get out of this despairing cesspool of a town, the sooner I can go back to getting some shut-eye."

"We're coming!" I shouted as we crossed the street. "So, where are we stopping first?"

Luz pulled out a piece of paper with a list of customers and addresses. "According to this, our first stop is to a castle owned by some guy named Nevareth Adegast."

"Castles always belong to big whack-jobs; when we find it, just kick the potions inside and get outta there." The little demon kept walking, not paying attention to where he was going and walked right into a wall. "Ow! Who put that wall there?"

Luz and I looked up and saw that King didn't just walk into a wall, but the wall of a castle. "I think this is the place." We walked to the large doors, and I saw a doorbell on the side; pressing it created a low, buzzing sound. "Excuse me; we have some snake oil for a Nevareth Adegast!" The castle's doors opened, revealing a beautifully lit room inside, filled with bookcases, fine furniture, and the oddities that you would expect to find in a fantasy castle.

"Hello, there." A strong yet warm voice said. Walking down a staircase that led to a library above, was a young man around seventeen with smooth blue hair and a star-spangled robe. His robe opened just enough to expose surprisingly toned pecs and abs. "I was in my oscillarium, reading the stars. And who might you two be, with beautiful eyes full of wonder?"

I heard Luz make a noise; when I looked at her, she was practically drooling at the sight of him; whispering, "And I thought guys this hot only existed in fiction."

I rolled my eyes before telling the young man, "Hi, we're delivering some potions for Eda, the Owl Lady. Are you Nevareth?"

"I am." He replied with a bow before descending the last steps and sitting on a chair. "Nevareth Adegast, Teenage Wizard Extraordinaire; thank you very much, fair maiden. And dareth I say, I sense something unique about you. Please, won't you join me for tea?"

"Hey, let's scram already," King told Luz and me. "It's just a guy in his jim-jams, and look!" He pointed at his feet, revealing he was in sandals. "You remember what Eda told us about… his kind."

"I almost forgot; I have scones, too," Nevareth said as he pointed at a plate of the pastries on a nearby table.

"Scones!" King excitedly rushed over them on all fours, ignoring everything he said earlier.

"We'd love some tea." A still enamored Luz joined in just as quickly.

I felt my stomach rumble, remembering I didn't have breakfast yet. "Hmm… sure, why not." Besides, if this guy's trouble, I can count on Luz to protect me… hopefully.

I took a seat next to the still infatuated Luz and across Nevareth, with King standing on the table. The wizard cast a spell to pour our tea and give us each some scones. I took a sip of the tea. "Wow, this's good."

"I am flattered," Nevareth said.

I looked around the house and saw he had shelves stocked with all kinds of elixirs. "Do you sell potions, too?"

"Yes, I run a small business."

"Oh yeah, well, you should run a small business of more scones..." King paused, trying to think of something witty. "Into my mouth." He chuckled and snatched more pastries

"Though I'm surprised to see two young ladies here, it was my understanding that Eda delivered potions herself."

"Usually, but we're helping her today; I'm her top apprentice, with some sick skills." Luz bragged, trying to impress him.

Nevareth looked at me. "And what about you?"

Putting my tea down, I asked, "Me?"

"I sense something deeply troubles you."

"No, nothing's bothering me... Well, something is... It's kinda a long story, and you seem like a busy person."

"Yeah, cuz, your food is gone, and so are we," King said, as he pulled at Luz's and my legs.

"It's alright, you can trust me," Nevareth said as he continued to stare into my eyes.

_So, you're stuck on the Boiling Isles with no way home?_ I heard the wizard say, but his mouth didn't move. Wait… is he in my head? _So, you followed the Owl Lady's palisman into the woods and ended up here, away from your family. The brother and sister you miss dearly._ He is in my head! I tried to look away from him, but my head wouldn't move; I wanted to scream for Luz and King to help me, but it was like my mouth was sewn shut. He was reading off my thoughts, and I couldn't stop him.

He read aloud how we started a prison break to get King's crown back, and how I'm stuck in the Demon Realm until Eda fixes the key. As well as how I'm stuck having to deliver potions for the Owl Lady while avoiding all the creatures that want to eat me alive. _This is quite an exciting tale; you also have my sympathies._ _But you know, Eda's key isn't the only portal that can take you home._

Did I hear that correctly? There's another portal out of the Demon Realm! Ugh. My head suddenly started pounding. Why does it hurt so much? _Let me tell you, young human, about a legend as old as the Isles itself. Once every generation, when the stars align, a portal would open to the Human Realm, allowing those from both sides to cross. This portal is known as the Celestial Rift._ The Celestial Rift? _I can sense your desire. You wish to find the Rift and return home to your family. And I am willing to offer my assistance and take you there._

Nevareth blinked, and I felt like I was about to pass out. "Amity!" Luz shouted, grabbing my shoulders before I fell out of the chair. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"L… Luz…" I looked at the girl as I rubbed my forehead, wanting to tell her… warn her about… but… It's like my mind just went blank.

Nevareth drew a circle, and a glass of water appeared in his hand and gave it to me. "Drink this."

"Th… thank you." I took it and guzzled it all down before letting out a huff. "I don't know what happened; I just started getting a headache."

"C'mon, let's finish our deliveries and head home; I'll have Mami check you out, make sure you didn't catch a bug," Luz said as she helped me up and kept me steady; glancing at the wizard. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"No need to thank me," Nevareth said. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

King scurried ahead of us as Luz aided in walking me to the door. But I still can't shake the feeling that I'm supposed to tell her something important about Nevareth... _The portal will open tonight; I will wait by the edge of the forest for when you make your decision. That is... if you want to see your family again._

* * *

Kikimora sat alone in her chambers, lit by a single candle, as she filled out one sheet out of a large stack of paperwork. She stamped the Emperor's seal of approval to provide the Construction Coven with funding for new equipment. The little red demon folded the form into an envelope then whistled; a bat flew over to pick up and deliver it. She took the following form and began to fill it out but stopped once she sensed her presence in the room. "May I help you, Master of Curses?" She apathetically asked, tapping her fingers against the desk.

Odalia Witherbane slithered out of the shadows and stood before the Emperor's assistant, being one of those witches who wants all the power in the room; for things to unfold how she wants them to. If creeping out of the shadows like a night creature was the green-haired witch's attempt to gain control through intimidation, it did not work on the demon. "Hello, Kiki." Odalia greeted with put-on civility. "I wanted to ask you about your investigation into The Owl Lady's newly acquired human pet and how it fairs."

She did not answer Odalia's question right away and went back to filling out her paperwork. Aside from her unwavering loyalty to Emperor Belos, Kiki's other strength is that she's an excellent multi-tasker, hence why he trusts her with so much. But in her eyes, Witherbane's concerns were not worth putting a shred of effort into; unless it was ordered so by her true master. She stamped a seal of approval, folded the form into an envelope, and whistled for another bat to deliver before taking the next sheet. Seeing Odalia was still there, the little demon huffed. "If you really must know, my agent reported to me already. He is working on the human as we speak; we'll know all it knows soon enough."

"But why put faith in a creature that could betray you on a whim, when one of our Coven's strongest has plenty of curses for… loosening tongues?"

Kiki whistled for another bat, and it snatched the envelope. "I would send you, but I believe you don't need a reminder of what happened last time you tried to go after someone related to the Owl Lady." Odalia placed a hand on the masked part of her face, the disdain she had for Eda was visible in her eyes. "But if you wish for her to finish what she started years ago... Then go loosen those tongues." Kikimora stamped a seal of approval onto the finished form, enveloped it, and whistled for another bat.

"While we're on the subject of the Owl Lady, I want to discuss her sister."

Kiki filled out another sheet, not glancing at Odalia as she let out another huff. "And what do you wish to discuss about Lilith?"

"Oh, Lilith Clawthorne can be the topic of hundreds of discussions amongst the members of the Emperor's Coven. Though, I am curious; why does our Emperor continue allowing her to wander our halls, despite all her previous failures at capturing Eda."

Kiki puts her pen down, still not giving the witch the attention she wanted. "What is this about, Odalia?"

"It's about Lilith's competence as our leader, our face. Our Emperor entrusted her with the simple tasks of bringing the Owl Lady to justice and has yet to accomplish it. Belos should've thrown her out long ago; yet, he decides now is the time to threaten her with banishment."

"And that threat is what will motivate her. The Clawthorne's didn't grow up in a life of luxury like you or Alador. Lilith had to claw her way to get to where she is now. When threatened with losing all of that she has gained is when she'll be at her most dutiful. She'll complete her task, one way or another."

"Oh, but I do not share the same faith in her as our Emperor. I am more than certain she will fail in the end." Odalida smirked with certainty in her statement.

"The Day of Unity is still some time away, so, we will see. Now, unless there is anything else that you wish to discuss, I have work to do."

"I do enjoy our chats Kiki." The Master of Curses said before she bowed and slid back into the shadows.

The Emperor's assistant picked up her pen and resumed her work. "I really should start locking my door."

* * *

After a long day of delivering potions, we finally returned to the Owl House, just as Eda and Camila finished making dinner and setting the table. Camila gave me a check-up after Luz had explained what happened at Nevareth's castle. There was nothing about me that was physically wrong, according to her. But I still felt drained, and that something was wrong with my head, but Camila reassured that it's probably nothing a nice hot meal won't fix.

We're having what looked like a chicken and vegetable dish; at least, I hoped it was. Luz was telling her moms about the day we had and about Nevareth, and how "hot" he is; Camila found the whole thing adorable. "Mija's first crush."

"Wait, a moment," Eda interjected. "Hot, rich, and a wonderful personality?" She listed off with her fingers. "Are you sure you didn't detect any illusion spells around the area?"

"No, why?" Luz asked.

"Because there's no way that a person like that could exist on the Boiling Isles, not without an ulterior motive anyway." She explained her reasoning as if she were speaking from experience. "And besides, wizards are the worst."

I tuned out their conversation as I picked at my barely touched food with my fork. _The portal will open tonight; I will wait by the edge of the forest for when you make your decision. That is... if you want to see your family again._ "Amity," Camila spoke up, snapping me back to reality.

"Is everything okay? You haven't touched your roasted basan."

"Well, if she's not gonna have it…" King began as he climbed up the table, but a blue aura surrounded him, and couldn't move.

"No, demonio malo," Camila said as she levitated the little furball away.

"Eda, can I ask you something?" I asked the Owl Lady.

"If it's about the key, I'll tell you again; I'm working on it as fast as I can." She replied.

"No, I… are you sure the key is the only way for me to get home?"

"The key's how I've "acquired" my goods from the Human Realm."

"I know that, but are you sure that it's the only portal between the Demon Realm and my world?"

"If there were another portal between worlds out there, I would've found it years ago and exploit the heck out of it." She chuckled before becoming serious again. "And I would've sent you home by now."

How do I know if Eda's telling me the whole truth like she didn't tell me everything during our heist for King's crown? What if Eda's also lying about fixing the key? What if I can't trust her? What if I can't trust any of them? Wait, why would I think that? Luz and Camila haven't… "Ugh." The pounding in my head's back!

"Are you alright?" Luz asked me with concern.

I pushed my chair back and stood up, apologizing to everyone before leaving for the living room, "I'm sorry. I'm just not hungry right now."

I sat on the couch, trying to gather my thoughts. _So, you followed the Owl Lady's palisman into the woods and ended up here, away from your family._ Those words and voices continued to play in my head. _But you know, Eda's key isn't the only portal that can take you home._ Just block them out, Amity! _Once every generation, when the stars align, a portal would open to the Human Realm._ What if Eda is telling me the truth? _This portal is known as the Celestial Rift._ But what if she isn't? _You wish to find the Rift and return home to your family._ Tears began to form in my eyes. _I will wait by the edge of the forest, for when you make your decision._ I've only been here for two days, but… _That is... if you want to see your family again._ I miss them, Ed, Em, Horace… even Mother and Father… I want to see them.

I wiped the salt-water drops from my eyes and made my decision, grabbing my bag and heading to the front door. I cracked it open ever so slightly so as not to wake Hooty, stepping outside, and gently closed the door as the bird-tube thing hooted with each snore.

"Ugh." Another headache, but it went away as quickly as it came. Maybe this isn't a good idea. Perhaps I should just… Or maybe I'll feel better when I'm back home, in my bed, with the people who love me. I made my decision. I will find Nevareth at the edge of the forest; he'll take me to the Celestial Rift, and I'll leave the Demon Realm forever.


	5. Chapter 5

"It'd be a darn shame for this to go to waste," King said, reaching for Amity's dish again, only to be caught by another of Camila's spells.

"I will put you in a kennel." She threatened before dropping the little demon on the floor.

"Okay, I'll stop." King sat there and folded his arms like a pouting child.

"I'm going to check on Amity," Camila stood from her chair. "Maybe she did pick up something, and I didn't catch it."

As Camila left for the living room, Eda looked to Luz and King. "You two said that this wizard was one of my clients, right?"

"According to the list you gave us," Luz answered. "Why?"

"I don't know him that well; was there anything about him that seemed sketchy to you?"

"Sketchy?" Luz rubbed her chin, trying to remember every detail from their meeting.

"Please, Luz was too distracted by his pecs to notice." King laughed, making the girl blush. But then he blinked in recollection. "But now that you mention it, that guy did seem to be interested in Amity for some reason."

Before Eda could respond, Camila came running back into the dining room; panic spread out across her face. "Eda, she's gone! Amity's gone!"

Eda and Luz stood. "What do you mean, "she's gone"?"

"I searched every room in the house! I can't find her anywhere! And her bag's missing, too!"

"Nueces! Hooty!"

The house demon slunk into the kitchen. "You call? Hoot!"

"Do you know where Amity is?"

"Hoot! Hoot! If that answer is what you seek, then solve my riddle within a week…"

The Owl Lady then gave the house demon a hard bonk on the head and snapped in annoyance, "Solo danos la maldita respuesta ya!"

"Okay, okay! She left for the forest towards Bonesborough a few minutes ago."

"What?" Luz, Camila, and King all shouted.

The irritation rose in Eda. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"You didn't ask," Hooty replied before slinking away. "Sheesh! Hoot!"

Without a moment to spare, Eda and Camila took out their staves and called to their respected palisman; Owlbert flew to Eda's, as Hisstopher slithered to Camila's. "Let's pay this wizard a visit."

King hopped on with Eda while Luz joined Camila. They flew out of the Owl House and straight to Bonesborough — arriving at abandoned ruins where the castle Luz and King told them about should have been. "I swear, this is where we met the scones… I mean, wizard." King said.

"And it wasn't like this when we were here," Luz added as the family began looking around for any leads.

Eda drew a circle, and a yellow shimmer dispersed across the entire area before turning cyan. "There was a powerful illusion cast here and has worn off quite recently. I don't like this."

"Querida!" Camila called to her wife as she walked over with a sash, unfolding it to reveal the golden-winged sword and shield emblem sewn onto it.

"Nevareth is with the Emperor's Coven." Luz gasped then folded her arms in disappointment. "And I thought we had a connection."

"What would one of Belos's goons want with Amity?" King asked.

"Wrath must've tattled to the Emperor, and he sent one of his cronies after her," Eda guessed.

"If Belos has her…" Camila began with a grave look, not wanting to think about what the Emperor could be doing to the human girl as they speak.

Eda drew another circle, and the shimmer narrowed itself until it formed a path of light for the family to track. "He's not gonna lay a hand on her, not if I have anything to say about it." They hopped back onto their staves and followed the trail at their top speeds, eventually taking them out of Bonesborough and to the outskirts of a long-abandoned village. "Oh, no."

The family stopped to investigate, as Luz said, "Creepy villages are never a good sign. Amity! It's us! Please tell us if you're here!"

"Guys, I think she was here," King said with a shake in his voice as he pointed at the ground. The mothers and daughter joined the little demon to see he found two groups of footprints — one set was small and had to belong to Amity but walking in pace next to hers were two larger, long-clawed tracks.

"Over there!" Luz shouted as the others turned and spotted a small feline-like creature jumping in fright and trying to flee.

Eda cast a spell and dragged the creature to her, begging in a shrill voice, "Please, don't hurt me."

Eda lifted the creature closer to her. "Have you seen a brown-haired, round-eared girl pass by here with a teenage wizard?"

"Yes… yes… I saw that girl walk by here not too long ago. She seemed sick… very sick. It's what that… that thing is doing to her. Draining her… draining her of everything."

"What "thing"? The wizard?"

"It's no… no wizard. They just kept going further down the road you're going, yes."

Eda released the creature, and it ran away as Eda turned to her family with a look of urgency. "I think I know what we're up against. And if it is what I think it is, we have to hurry."

* * *

"Here we are, Amity," Nevareth said as we stood before a sparkling portal that had to be none other than the Celestial Rift. The same forest I followed Owlbert through on the other side. Nevareth leaned close to whisper in my ear. "Go on, Amity. All you must do is pass through, and you'll go home. You'll see your family again. Just a few more steps."

I was so close to going home… but… my breathing was heavy — like I just ran a marathon — but I pushed through to the portal. I dropped my bag to lessen the strain; taking it with me wasn't important right now. I was almost home soon; I'll see everyone I care about again. But… I also just left the Owl House… even after Eda and Luz let me stay... This shouldn't be hard! I walk through and… I left without saying goodbye or thanking them… Why would I do… "Ugh!" I fell to my knees and clenched my head as the pain grew worse than ever.

"Don't stop now; you're almost there," Nevareth said.

I looked at the portal to my home; it was just a few steps away… it was… wait… The portal seemed to glitch, like when a television loses a station. Is the portal closing? Why would Nevareth take me here? Why am I even trusting Nevareth to begin with? "Ugh!" I only met him once and he… I… remember… at the castle… "Ugh!" He invaded my mind… read my most private thoughts… And my headaches started after he did that. "Why are you helping me?" I asked the wizard, looking back at him.

He looked puzzled. "I beg your pardon?"

"When… when we met. You seemed to… to have an interest in helping… helping me. Why?"

"Well, why not? You seemed like a lovely young lady who needed help."

"And in… invading my mind was helping me?"

Nevareth blinked. "You weren't supposed to remember that."

"What do you… do you want me with me?"

"Oh well, I guess there's no use in hiding it anymore." Nevareth sighed as a smirk plastered his face; a malicious laugh filled the air as he drew a circle, and a puff of smoke enveloped him. Once it cleared, I gasped at what took the place of the wizard — a tall flesh and fur creature with clawed feet, a pair of fleshy wings, octopus tentacles for arms, and ram horns sprouting from his angular head.

I tried backing as far away as I could from this… this thing. "What… what are you?"

"Well, since these will be your last moments alive, I might as well humor you." Nevareth cackled. "I am an incubus, and from the moment I made eye contact with you, I've been feeding off your delicious desires. I planted the seeds into your mind, filling you with thoughts of doubt and making you act impulsively on what your heart yearns for the most. It was all too easy. And now, I know just about everything you know. About yourself, the Owl Lady… I know it all."

Remembering what Eda told me this morning, I asked, "Is that what this is all about? Eda warned… she warned me she had rivals every… everywhere who would love to take down her business. And you… you… also, run a potions business."

"The Owl Lady keeps stealing all the customers I've sold potions to for years, yes. But I'm doing this for other reasons."

"But why… why go after me?"

"Oh, you're wondering why I didn't go after her daughter or her little pet. Well, that would be suicide, going after someone she cares about. And besides," He wrapped one of his tentacles around and lifted me off the ground. "I've never had the desire of a human before." I struggled to break free from his snare — which grew tighter — but I was too weak to keep it up. "I wasn't gonna pass up a once in a lifetime delicacy."

"Hola fea!" Eda shouted as she and Camila arrived on their staves with Luz and King. "I knew it; you're an incubus."

The creature turned and growled, "Owl Lady."

"Let her go, or we'll fry you alive." The wives took their staves in hand and prepared for a fight.

"Oh, the human can leave if she wants to. But I sense her heart wants something else, entirely." Nevareth looked back at me, gazing directly into my eyes, and everything went black.

"Mittens, are you alright?" I heard Ed's voice, and my eyes shot open. I couldn't believe it. I was in... in my bed with my brother and sister standing to my right.

"Thank goodness you're awake," Em said with relief.

Tears welled in my eyes; I weakly said, "Ed? Em?" I wanted to hop straight up and give them the biggest hug I could, but I was too tired to move.

"You gave us quite a scare," Ed told me.

"What?"

"You don't remember?" I looked to my left and saw Mother and Father with looks of concern as Mother continued, "You came home from school, and you suddenly collapsed on us. We called the doctor right away to check up on you."

"You were asleep for two days," Father said. "I'll have Horace fetch you something to eat and drink."

As if on cue, our family butler opened the door to my room, carrying a tray of what smelled like tomato bisque and ginger tea. "Pardon my intrusion, but Miss Riley is here to see you."

"Riley?"

From behind Horace, Riley from chemistry class entered the room with flowers that came with a "Get Well" note. "Hey Amity, how are you doing?" She asked.

"Riley? W… what are you… doing here?" I asked.

"I wanted to check up on my girlfriend, silly."

"Girlfriend?"

"Don't you remember?" Ed asked me. "You confessed how you felt about her a few days before school ended."

"And she is quite a lovely young lady." Mother said. "Beautiful and brilliant."

Horace placed the tray in front of me, and the aroma filled my nose. "Here you are, Miss. Just the way you like it."

"Now, just relax, Mittens," Em said. "Stay here; enjoy all the good things you have."

"All of this… this all feels perfect," I said with a genuine smile on my face, being with the family I love and the girl I liked. Tears trailed down my cheeks, "But this…" I closed my eyes, fighting to say what I knew to be true. "This… This isn't real."

When my eyes opened, I was back on the Boiling Isles, lying on the ground. I pushed myself up as I saw Luz and her moms fighting Nevareth, who held King hostage. "Back off! Or the dog gets it."

"I am not a dog!" The little demon protested, flailing around.

I spotted a sharp stone near out of the corner of my eye; despite my limbs feeling like noodles, I forced myself over to and picked it up. With what strength I could muster, I hollered as I drove the sharp end into the back of the incubus's leg — causing him to let go of King, who scurried away. He cried in pain as I drove the stone in deeper, green slime oozing from the wound.

Nevareth looked behind, and I closed my eyes to avoid his illusions. "You should've stayed in the fantasy!" I yelped as one of his tentacles swiped across my face, cutting open the skin near my eye.

"Big mistake!" Eda shouted. She and Camila combined their circles into one and sent a swirling mix of yellow and blue fire at the incubus. Before he could react, he was enveloped and blown away by it; I could see the outline of his body inside the flames, which then broke apart like glass.

Once the fire dissipated, the imposing creature was gone and was replaced with, "Ew, you're just a tiny little slug." Luz said with disgust.

Nevareth, now in his real form, tried to scurry away but was quickly snatched up by Eda — her index finger over his eyes. "Let me go!" It demanded.

"So that you can report back to Belos with everything you know?" The Owl Lady said. "There's only one solution to this problem."

"Pay me for my silence?"

Without saying a word, the witch popped the slug into her mouth and swallowed him whole. "Yuck, I probably should've salted him first." Eda came over to and scooped me up off the ground and wiped the blood off my face. "You alright, kid?"

She carried me over to a concerned Camila, King, and Luz. "Will she be okay?" The apprentice asked her mothers.

Camila drew a circle around where my wound was, and I could feel it close. "She's exhausted. When we get back to the Owl House, I'll make sure she has a hearty meal and gets plenty of rest. Ella debería estar bien después de eso."

Luz looked at me. "How do you feel?"

I turned my gaze from her. "Like… like an idiot," I answered, feeling ashamed. "That whole Celestial Rift stuff was… was an obvious ruse… and I fell for it."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about this. That incubus was messing with your head."

"Yeah, he could've easily played any of us for suckers," King said.

"I doubt it," I replied. "Nevareth only went after me... because he was too cowardly to go after someone... Eda cares about."

"You don't believe that, do you?" The apprentice asked, sounding stunned by what I said. I kept silent, unsure if I believe it, myself.

"You guys go on ahead of us," Eda told the others.

To which her wife replied, "We should get her home quickly."

"I know, but there's something I want to show her. We won't take long."

Taking a moment to consider it, Camila replied, "If it won't take long." Luz picked up the bag I dropped before joining King. They hopped onto Camila's staff and flew away.

"What… do you want to show me?" I asked.

Eda hopped on her staff with me in her arms, and we flew high into the air. She said, "This," as soon as we stopped.

My eyes widened, and all I could utter was, "Wow." I didn't know how to feel about what I was seeing; the Boiling Isles from a distance looked like…

"You're probably wondering why it looks like the corpse of a giant." Eda guessed. "Well, it is. A centuries dead Titan that now serves as a home for thousands of people. The isles can be slimy and gross, up close. But when you look at it from a different perspective..."

"It's beautiful." Ever since I got here, all I wanted was to see my world again, no matter what. I put too much focus on all the bad this place has and never took a moment to consider the good that's happened.

"And I do get it, y'know." Eda looked at me with a straight face.

I blinked. "Get what?"

"Wanting to reunite with family. I have an older sister, Lily." A nostalgic, yet sad, smile grew on her face. "We were pretty much inseparable, but we lost contact with each other over time. I've tried reaching out to her so many times but haven't been successful. I miss how close we were. I will get you back home, Amity."

"I believe you. Thank you, Eda…" The witch continued cradling me as we looked back at the Isles, and before I knew it, I was asleep in her arms.

* * *

 _We're sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again._ It didn't make sense; Edric and Emira knew Amity's phone number by heart, yet they get this same message every time.

"I'm scared, Ed," Em confessed, trying her hardest not to cry.

"I'm scared, too," Ed said, trying to hold the tears back as he hugged her. Their baby sister has been missing for two days now. The last time either one ever saw her; she sat in waiting for the bus to pick her up.

They assumed she was already at the Summer Program, taking part in extracurricular activities and impressing her teachers. But the director called the manor and informed Mother and Father that she hadn't arrived. They stopped by her friends' houses, assuming she decided to run away to them, but not even they knew where she was. After that, Mother and Father called the police.

Three soft knocks reverberated on the door. Horace opened it, carrying a tray with two sandwiches as he said, "The two of you have been up here for a long time. I thought you might be hungry."

"This is all our faults," Ed said, the tears finally pouring out of his and his sister's sky-blue eyes.

Horace put the tray down on a desk and walked over to the twins. "Why would you think that?"

"Because we didn't have her back when she didn't want to go along with what Mother and Father wanted," Emira said. "We never have her back when it comes to that. We stay quiet and do nothing."

"Edric and Emira Blight, I never want to hear either say it's your fault again," Horace said in a firm tone that he rarely uses; much to the twins' surprise. "I don't want to hear either of you blame yourselves, because she wouldn't blame either of you. Miss Amity knows you both love her, and she loves you both back." He affectionately placed his hands on their shoulders. "We will find her." The twins hugged the butler and let them cry into his chest, assuring them that wherever Amity Blight disappeared to, she was okay.


End file.
